Mexborough and Swinton Times July 30, 1937

Tragedy visited the Kilnhurst colliery on Wednesday afternoon, when a high-speed cage descending the 2000 feet of Number 2 Silkstone shaft with 18 men on its two decks hurtled to the pit bottom.

20 men in a coordinated cage coming up were flung into the head gear, and were saved from crashing back into the shaft by the operation of the safety catch.

One miner of all the 18 huddled in the falling “chair” was killed. He was on the bottom deck and when the shock of the impact came he received injuries which almost instantly proved fatal.

He was Joe Sales, 2, Apollo St, Rawmarsh, a married man with a family of five, including three children of school age.

The following were those seriously injured and detained in hospital:

Mexborough Montagu Hospital:

Arthur Spencer (54), married, Carlisle Street, Kilnhurst
Injuries to left leg, very serious

Thomas Riley (56), married, Kilnhurst Road, Rawmarsh
Injuries to left ankle, favourable

Peter Gilgallon (48), Charles Street, Kilnhurst
Injuries to right leg, not serious

James Gilliver (40), Married, North Terrace, Kilnhurst
Injuries to both legs, serious

Charles Pears (40), married, Wheatley Road, Kilnhurst
Injury to right leg, serious

Alexander McDonald (40), single, Stewarts Road, Kilnhurst
Injury to right leg, serious

Rotherham Hospital:

Thomas Griffiths (31), married, Clay Pit Lane, Rawmarsh
George Wardingley (52), married, St Nicholas Road, Rawmarsh
John Veitch (61), married, Kilnhurst wrote, Rawmarsh
Horace Tuxford (45), married, Osberton Road Rawmarsh
Albert Barnes (30), 23 Wordsworth Dr, Herring Thorpe, Rotherham
Sam Roddis (45), Hill top, Kimberworth
John Griffiths (36), married, Clay Pit Lane, Rawmarsh
John Davies, married, Bridge Street, Swinton
Edward Gerard (51) Married Stewarts Rd, Rawmarsh
James Ensor (30), married, clay Pit Lane, Rawmarsh, was taken to hospital but was discharged after treatment.

Condition of injured

enquiries made late last night of the Montagu hospital reveal that all but Pears and Spencer were showing slight improvement.

Pears and Spencer are reported to be still in a serious condition.

A statement from Rotherham Hospital showed that the injured men there had slightly improved and were as well as could be expected.

Four men – Wardlington, Veitch, Barnes and Roddis – had legs amputated and the cases were fractured angles and femurs.